The Blessed Servant

Series on the Psalms

Text: Psalm 15

Title: The Blessed Servant

Introduction

Both Psalm 15 and Psalm 24 deal with the character of the individual who may ascend the hill of the Lord and dwell in His house. Although Psalm 24 is uniquely a processional hymn attached to the bringing of the ark into Zion and declares in repeated refrain that the Lord is entering his tabernacle, both Psalms are concerned with the qualifications of those who serve. Spurgeon, I think correctly, connects this Psalm to the same historical event. You may remember that David had difficulty in bringing the ark up to the tabernacle in Jerusalem. In I Chronicles 13 the attempt was aborted because the ark was incorrectly transported on a cart and Uzzah reached out his hand to steady it when it rocked and was punished with death. We must understand that these actions showed a disregard for the Word of the Lord and carelessness regarding the holiness of God. It is easy to see how such an occasion would prompt the thoughts of these Psalms. David placed the ark in the house of Obed-Edom, a levite whose sons are listed among the faithful servants in I Chronicles 26. Obed-Edom was blessed by God. Then when the ark was finally brought up the stipulations of God’s law were followed carefully. In I Chronicles 15:12-15 David addresses the Levites, He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD. Thus Psalm 15 is likely concerned with the qualifications of those who serve the Lord. I find an interesting resemblance to the qualifications for Church officers in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. It would be easy to write off this Psalm with the notion that no one fulfills these qualifications except Jesus, but I do not think that was what was in David’s mind. Though God told Israel they were a kingdom of Priests in Exodus 19:6, nevertheless it is the priests and Levites who serve close to the Lord and may be thought of as dwelling in his house. Thus these qualifications are for everyone, but the focus is especially upon officers. The conclusion of David that he who does these things will never be shaken reminds us of Paul’s thought in I Timothy three when he says Those who have served well as Deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. Who is this man? His walk is blameless, his work is righteous and his word is true.

I. A Walk that is Blameless

The walk is described as blameless in verses 1 and 2, LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart. This should be an instant clue that we are not talking about perfection here. Though the word perfect is used in the Hebrew, it means a life which has all the essential features of a good character without necessarily being perfect in degree. Paul uses a similar word to describe the Elder in I Timothy 3. He is to be blameless or above reproach. The sense is that this is a person who has a reputation for being consistent in his devotion to the Lord. Though far from perfect, this individual is further described as having a good reputation with outsiders. He is a respectable person or well behaved. The emphasis here is on a solid commitment. The same is true in Psalm 24 which says this man does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He is not a hypocrite, but he is a man who gives genuine evidence of his allegiance to the Lord. Another New Testament word for this is sincerity. His profession or confession is believable and is supported by his life. It is worth pointing out that although those who served in the tabernacle had to be ceremonially correct, David goes to the heart of the matter here showing that the real intent of the ceremonial qualifications and cleansing was sincerity in faith.

II. A Work that is Benevolent

The Psalm also says in verses 1 and 2 that he does what is righteous. That is he is righteous in his dealings with others. Several characteristics are mentioned by Paul in Timothy and Titus which fall into this category. They include not being overbearing, quick-tempered, drunken, violent or quarrelsome, but being gentle and self controlled. One additional quality is mentioned in both Timothy and Titus which appears here in Psalm 15. It is variously translated, not given to filthy lucre, not pursuing dishonest gain, not covetous, greedy, or avaricious, not a lover of money. This is a salient feature of the character of the servant of the Lord. Jesus said no man can serve two masters. We cannot serve God and mammon. The Psalmist focuses on this characteristic in v.5, Who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. This is a signal indication of genuine faith. The love of money is the root of all evil according to I Timothy 6:6 and points up the crucial nature of this requirement.

III. A Word that is Benediction

The majority of the description is taken up with speech in verses 3 and 4, And has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts. This is a man who speaks blessing not cursing. I find this curiously interesting because of a passage in James 3 which asserts that if any man is able to bridle his tongue he is a perfect man. Obviously James, like Paul is not talking about perfection in the sense that it is present in Jesus. One commentator translates this, “guiding the tongue aright may be regarded as a test of Christian maturity.” Though James says “no man can tame the tongue” and recognizes the impossibility of perfection in degree, he is not speaking hypothetically but as the context states, he is urging the proper use of the tongue as he says in 3:10 My brothers this should not be. The words of the Psalmist are an elaboration of this. This man is a faithful witness in verse 2, and he does not slander in verse 3, he speaks the truth about others and does not flatter the ungodly, and he keeps his word to his own hurt. The opposite of James description is Paul’s characterization of unbelievers in Romans 3:13,14, Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.Their feet are swift to shed blood. Would anyone suggest that you cannot tell the difference between a true believer and an unbeliever in this respect?

Conclusion

The characteristics which stand out here in the servant of the Lord are a consistent life and good reputation, loving God more than gold, and using the tongue with real integrity. These are reasonable tests of the authenticity of one’s profession of faith. Having said that we must always keep in mind that Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever fulfilled these requirements. If it were not for his atoning death and his righteousness being substituted for ours when we trust in him, then we would not be acceptable to God at all. In the Old Testament we read the prayer of Psalm 132, May your priests be clothed with righteousness. No one can serve God without being clothed in righteousness by God’s mercy. But having said this does not excuse us from fulfilling these qualifications in our lives because these are the signs of authenticity, integrity, and genuine commitment to the Lord. They are to be manifest in the lives of those who would gain assurance of their salvation and their place in the house of the Lord forever.

Summary of Psalm 15

In Psalm fifteen David describes character of the man who is qualified to serve in the house of the Lord. This applies preeminently to officers but broadly to all of us because we are a kingdom of priests. The focus is on the need for authenticity and purity of devotion to the Lord as manifested in a good reputation, integrity in speech, and serving God rather than material gain. Because Christ alone perfectly meets these demands all service must be in Christ, but real assurance of a place in God’s kingdom is gained when one manifests this character.